Cameroon coach Volker Finke declared Samuel Eto o and Stephane M Bia are fit to play their country s FIFA World Cup opener against Mexico.
Eto o and M Bia missed Cameroon s final pre-tournament friendly against Moldova due to fitness concerns although some had claimed they were on strike due to a disagreement with the Cameroonian Football Federation (FCF) but Finke claimed they would be ready to play Mexico.
With hosts Brazil overcoming Croatia 3-1 in the other Group A encounter on Thursday, any winner from Cameroon against Mexico would take a significant step towards the round of 16.
Finke underlined the importance of striker Eto o and defensive midfielder M Bia ahead of Friday s clash at Natal s Arena das Dunas.
I m happy that Stephane M Bia and Eto o are back …
Japan s Shinji Kagawa expects FIFA World Cup opponents Greece to be on the offensive in Thursday s Group C clash.
Alberto Zaccheroni s men were beaten by the Ivory Coast in their opening fixture, as they surrendered a lead to lose 2-1.
With Greece also suffering defeat in their first fixture in Brazil, via a 3-0 loss against Colombia, Kagawa feels that both teams will need to go for broke in Natal later this week.
The Manchester United man lamented Japan s inability to take anything from their opening game and says there is no room for caution in their remaining fixtures.
We were never really in control of the game (against Ivory Coast), he told AFP.
Greece will attack us because they lost too. We have no option but to attack.
Japan have made it o…
Bayern Munich recruit James Rodriguez thanked Real Madrid for three wonderful years after leaving the Spanish and European champions.
James swapped Madrid for Bundesliga giants Bayern on a two-year loan deal after falling down the pecking order in the Spanish capital.
The 25-year-old was unable to cement a regular position in Zinedine Zidane s starting XI – left out of Madrid s Champions League final squad altogether.
However, James – who has the option of a permanent transfer to Bayern after reuniting with former head coach Carlo Ancelotti – had nothing but praise for Madrid s supporters.
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Antonio Conte insists Alvaro Morata was his first choice when it came to securing a new striker for Chelsea.
Spain international Morata is set to become the Premier League champions record signing after a fee in the region of £70million was agreed with Real Madrid.
The 24-year-old is still to conclude the formalities of personal terms and a medical at Stamford Bridge and will finally get the chance to play under Conte, who sanctioned a move for him at Juventus in 2014 before leaving to take charge of the Italian national side.
Conte was reportedly angered by Manchester United signing ex-Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku for £75m from Everton earlier this month, but he told a news conference in Beijing that Morata was always his primary target.
It is very i…
Real Madrid sent Achraf Hakimi on a two-year loan to Borussia Dortmund at the age of 19 to help him gain some valuable first-team experience back in 2018. The deal is therefore about to expire and the player is due back at the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.
In the meantime, Hakimi has progressed immensely and Dortmund haven t been hiding their wish to keep him on a permanent basis. This season he has played a total of 37 games, scoring seven goals and assisting ten. For a 21-year-old player who is primarily a right-back, capable of performing in midfield or on the left defensive flank as well, those numbers are impressive.
Real now feel he is ready to be a part of their squad, but they are also aware that the competition is fierce with Dani Carvajal currently occupying …
Luka Jovic only wants to triumph at Real Madrid and hear the Santiago Bernabeu chant his name, according to personal trainer Bojan Custic amid doubts over the forward s future.
Jovic has struggled to live up to the hype since his reported €60million move from Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, where he scored 27 goals in 2018-19.
The 22-year-old Serbia international has only managed two goals in 24 appearances for Madrid, while he has been linked to Borussia Dortmund as a possible makeweight in a deal to bring Erling Haaland to the Spanish capital.
Jovic – who has been criticised for breaching self-isolation procedures in Serbia amid the coronavirus pandemic – has also emerged as a reported transfer target for Premier League outfit Arsenal.
But Cu…
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In what is a heavyweight Premier League showdown from Stamford Bridge on Thursday night, Chelsea will welcome Manchester United to west London.
Chelsea
Starting with the hosts, while Chelsea might currently be in the midst of a five-match unbeaten run across all competitions, it is no secret that Mauricio Pochettino has found a huge amount of scrutiny over his position at Stamford Bridge. Throwing away the lead twice on their return from March’s international break as they eventually had to settle for a 2-2 stalemate against relegation scrappers Burnley, the former Tottenham boss will have a major headache over his side’s extended issues at the back. Along with shipping a pair of goals in all of their last five appearances across a…
Liverpool are reportedly leading the race to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez.
Saul has five years remaining on his contract with the LaLiga champions, but could be on the move ahead of the 2020-21 season.
Jurgen Klopp may have competition to land the 26-year-old, with Barcelona said to be interested in a stunning swap deal which would see Antoine Griezmann return to the capital.
TOP STORY SAUL IN DEMAND
Liverpool have lined up a move for Saul Niguez and are willing to fork out £35million to get their man, according to AS.
The Reds are in the market for a central midfielder after losing Georginio Wijnaldum, who moved to Paris Saint-Germain after his contract expired.
Saul is thought to be the man Jurgen Klopp has…
Bayern Munich are interested in Manchester City attacker John Guidetti, according to a report.
Guidetti has put on some outstanding performances on loan at Feyenoord in the 2011-12 Eredivisie campaign, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported.
Bayern are in the market for attacking reinforcements because of the expected departure of Ivica Olic at the end of the season, and are said to see the 19-year-old Guidetti as the perfect addition to their front line.
The Bavarians reportedly sent a delegation to De Kuip on Sunday to see Guidetti in action in Feyenoord s Eredivisie match against Vitesse, and they were treated to the Sweden Under-21 star netting a hat-trick to help his side to a 3-1 victory.
Guidetti started his professional career at Brommapojkarna, a…
The Netherlands jumped one spot in the latest FIFA rankings to sit second behind world champions Spain.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2008 winners retained top spot, ahead of the Dutch who beat England 3-2 in a friendly last week.
Joachim Loew s Germany, who lost 2-1 to France, dropped down to third, while Uruguay are fourth followed by fellow South Americans Brazil, whose 2-1 defeat of Bosnia-Herzegovina saw them move up two places to fifth.
England dropped to sixth, with Portugal, Argentina, Italy and Croatia rounding out the top 10.
The United States moved inside the top 30 after a 1-0 win against Italy while Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine moved up 10 spots into the top 50.
African nation Sao Tome and Principe were the biggest movers, climbing …